text:
Environmentally friendly packaging is an inevitable trend in the development of cosmetics packaging. Currently, domestic enterprises are striving to grow.
According to NHK TV on May 6th, the "upcycling" business of turning waste into treasure has become popular among Japanese enterprises, especially food related enterprises, which are actively developing processed food products from ingredients commonly discarded by people such as fruit peels. A large Japanese food delivery company has successfully produced related products, such as making pear stalks into snack chips and banana peels into fruit sauce.
This environmentally friendly food is eye-catching. When looking back at the cosmetics industry, the industry and enterprises are paying attention to development while also striving to reduce pollution and harm to the environment. It should be noted that with the popularity of natural environmental protection, the advocacy of green and low-carbon concepts, and the pursuit of natural and green production and use in the fiercely competitive cosmetics market, have gradually become an inevitable trend in the industry.
Sephora Overpackaging Becomes a Typical Case
At the end of April, the State Administration for Market Regulation announced a batch of typical cases of excessive packaging law enforcement for goods. One of the cases involving cosmetics is the investigation of Sephora (Shanghai) Cosmetics Sales Co., Ltd.'s over packaged perfume by the Shanghai Huangpu District Market Supervision Bureau.
It is understood that on July 1, 2020, the Shanghai Market Supervision Bureau entrusted the Shanghai Institute of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Technology to conduct supervision and spot checks on Sephora (Shanghai) Cosmetics Sales Co., Ltd. After testing, it is confirmed that the packaging void ratio of the perfume products sold by the company, such as "Boboli Flower and Her Fragrance Festival Gift Box" and "Gucci Flower Luxury Gift Box", does not meet the national standards and is an over packaged product. On January 21, 2021, the Market Supervision Bureau of Huangpu District ordered corrections in accordance with the law and conducted interviews with relevant production enterprises.
On the afternoon of April 26th, a review meeting was held for the first revision of the national standard "Restriction of Excessive Packaging Requirements for Food and Cosmetics". It was proposed that production organizations should take measures to control the cost of all packaging, except for packaging that directly comes into contact with the contents, to not exceed 20% of the product's sales price.
As is well known, in addition to the product itself, packaging with highlights can also play a positive role in promoting communication between brands and consumers. Appropriate packaging not only attracts consumers' attention, but also fully embodies the brand's taste. Nowadays, more and more cosmetic companies are paying attention to the environmental friendliness of outer packaging and consciously joining this green team.
Shangdao Zongheng and Interface News recently jointly released the "2021 China Sustainable Consumption Report" (hereinafter referred to as the "Report"). The report shows that low-carbon consumption is becoming a daily action of more and more people, and more and more consumers hope that the low-carbon consumption market can continue to grow in the future and have more choices of low-carbon products and services.
Recycling of waste packaging materials shows various abilities
The environmental wind has also blown into the cosmetics industry. But it can be clear that this is not just a gust of wind, nor is it just a recent experience of 'wind'.
The Tide Observer reporter learned that on the eve of the "2022 National Cosmetic Safety Science Popularization Week", the China Department Store Business Association issued an initiative to promote the "Green Recycling of Cosmetic Packaging Materials for Retail Enterprises" to a large number of retail enterprises.
The initiative points out that firstly, retail enterprises should fully play their main role in the safe and green management of cosmetics, effectively enhance their sense of mission and responsibility, adhere to environmental protection concepts in cosmetics business activities, and carry out green management.
Secondly, it is necessary to establish a mechanism and process for the recycling and utilization of discarded cosmetic packaging materials based on the company's own situation, to effectively recycle and properly dispose of the discarded packaging materials.
Thirdly, we need to guide consumers to establish a green and environmentally friendly consumption concept, and encourage them to actively participate in the recycling of empty cosmetics bottles through a combination of online and offline methods, in order to reduce the waste rate of packaging materials.
Fourth, we need to promote and popularize the safety knowledge of cosmetics, improve consumers' product discrimination, enhance consumers' awareness of anti-counterfeiting and rights protection, and prevent the recycling of brand cosmetics packaging materials from entering the channels of making and selling counterfeit products from the source, in order to safeguard consumers' safe use of cosmetics.
Fifth, we need to carry out popular science education on circular economy and green development, as well as knowledge training on environmental protection and packaging material recycling, in order to leverage the effective role of employees in guiding green consumption.
These initiatives are proposed in conjunction with the existing problems in the market. For example, the recycling of waste packaging materials is not only related to environmental protection. Recently, the People's Court of Guangling District, Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province announced a case of selling "genuine bottled counterfeit" cosmetics. After investigation, the gang involved in the case purchased a large number of empty bottles of genuine cosmetics from idle websites, and mixed and diluted the genuine cosmetics before filling and selling them. They pretended to be purchasing versions from different regions and sold them at low prices on online shopping platforms. The illegal proceeds amounted to 31 million yuan. In the actual consumption process, consumers often judge whether the product is genuine or not through packaging, so intermediaries specializing in collecting and selling genuine empty bottles have become an important role in the criminal chain. The act of producing and selling counterfeit products is extremely harmful to brands, consumers, and the market.
Currently, many beauty and skincare brands are aware of the importance of recycling empty cosmetic bottles and are actively taking action.
Some choose the form of point deduction for implementation. For example, in North America, Koyan's reward for cosmetic bottle recycling activities is to collect ten empty bottles and exchange them for one travel product. M. Any packaging of A.C products (including difficult to recycle lipstick, eyebrow pencil, and other small packaging), in any counter or store in North America, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other regions. Every 6 packages can be replaced with a formal lipstick. This move is not only beneficial for improving consumers' repurchase rate, but also enhances their environmental awareness.
Some rely on publicity to drive consumers. For example, Yueshi Fengyin encourages consumers to bring empty bottles back to the store through the text on the bottles, and after cleaning, turn the empty bottles into new product packaging, decorative items, etc.
The form of replacement packaging is more easily accepted by the market. For example, replacement cores for air cushion products from major brands are relatively cheaper compared to formal packaging. For example, DIOR upgraded the Wild Men's Light Fragrance to a replaceable packaging, with the refill bottle made of aluminum that can be recycled and reused, making it lighter in weight. For example, the emerging brand Zhiben is jokingly referred to as an "environmentally friendly company" in the industry: reusable eco-friendly express boxes, replaceable packaging designs, empty bottle recycling
Nowadays, a large number of young Chinese consumers have become increasingly aware of environmental protection. Choosing environmentally friendly materials for cosmetics is not only a manifestation of environmental protection, but also a refusal to pay for over packaged products.
Environmental Action Welcome pk
Of course, there are also many brands that choose environmentally friendly packaging materials in the production end.
Domestic brand REVER claims that every package they use is made of environmentally friendly materials certified by FCS. The corn foam filling particles in the package are made of 100% de corn starch, 100% biodegradable, compostable and residue free.
Last year, Procter&Gamble announced a partnership with paper bottle company Paboco to launch the first paper bottle packaging for its Lenovo brand, which will be piloted in Western Europe in 2022. It is reported that Procter&Gamble's global textile and home care department has joined the Paboco paper bottle community and started producing product bottles made entirely of biological materials to reduce the use of plastic and carbon footprint, and contribute to creating sustainable packaging solutions.
Koyan's also strives to use biodegradable materials and simple and environmentally friendly packaging, and many products do not have paper outer boxes. At the same time, consumers are encouraged to "recreate" empty cosmetic bottles and turn them into creative decorations, vases, or storage items at home.
Environmentally friendly packaging is an inevitable trend in the development of cosmetics packaging. Currently, domestic enterprises are striving to grow. It is commendable that despite the long road ahead, more and more enterprises are participating in it. While practicing their own green environmental protection concepts, they have attracted more consumers to be influenced and change themselves. On the path of environmental protection in cosmetics, we hope that more and more colleagues will join, strengthen the team, and build a strong momentum, so that this environmental trend can be blown to every corner and every aspect!
Contact Person: Mr. Fan


text:
Copyright ©2021 VINAMR All Rights Reserved
27 Mar 2023
The D-size sedan will end its more than 40-year history in its home market, when sales in 2022 are less than 6,000 vehicles.
According to Nikkei Asia, Toyota has notified its dealers that it will discontinue the Camry for domestic market by the end of this year, while still continuing producing this model for export.
In Japan, the Camry will be ended in phases, and Toyota will almost no longer accept new orders. The new Camry models in development will only be sold in overseas markets.
The Camry, named after the Japanese word kanmuri, meaning “crown”, has been produced since 1982 with major manufacturers in the US, China and Japan. Since its launch, more than 1.3 million units of Camry have been sold just in Japan, with the price ranging from $26,400 to $35,500.
Globally, the Camry is available in more than 100 countries and territories, with cumulative sales of more than 21 million units through 2022, according to figures from Toyota and MarkLines. The current generation is the 10th generation, launched since 2017.
The Camry is particularly popular in the U.S., where more than 13 million units are already owned. American customers prefer the Camry for its reliability, ease of operation and spacious interior. This sedan model was the best-selling model in the North American country for 15 years until 2016, when the RAV4 took the throne by following the trend of preference for high-roar cars. In the used car market, Camry is also popular thanks to its high resale value.
In China and Southeast Asia, the Camry is also one of the best-selling sedans. This product is still well received in many places with stable demand, as global sales in 2022 are around 600,000 vehicles.
As in Vietnam, in February, which is also the second consecutive month, Camry sells the most in the D-size sedan segment, far ahead of competitors with 249 vehicles delivered, accounting for more than half of sales of the whole segment. However, the D-size sedan segment is increasingly declining, letting high-roar cars to fill in.
In Japan it’s a different story. Fewer than 6,000 vehicles were sold in 2022, partly due to component shortages. Besides, SUVs and minivans are becoming increasingly attractive to Japanese customers and have a big impact on the sedan. Also last year, Nissan discontinued entirely production of the Fuga mid-size sedan. Similarly, Honda has also killed the Legend since late 2021.
Thiết kế website bởi Mona Media

domain: news


text:
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Square Enix is disappointed in the sales of one of its games. Tomb Raider, Hitman, Outriders, Guardians of the Galaxy—it’s a long list, and Forpsoken just got added to it. Current Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda said during the company’s most recent earnings call that sales of the magical realist action-RPG were “lackluster.” On the upside, he said he hopes people will look forward to NFT games launching in the next year.
“Reviews of Forspoken, which we released on January 24, 2023, have been challenging,” Matsuda said in a February 3 earnings briefing, the translated transcript of which was only released today. He added that while the parkour and combat in the game were well received and will help the company’s development capabilities for other titles, the game isn’t selling as much as Square Enix had hoped.
“Its sales have been lackluster, and while the performance of new titles with February and March release dates will be the ultimate determinant, we see considerable downside risk to our FY2022/3 earnings,” he said.
Elsewhere during the meeting, Matsuda, who is currently set to be replaced after a decade at the helm in June, said HD game sales were down year over year, partly due to not having a new Final Fantasy XIV expansion last year, “but also because many of the new small and mid-sized titles we launched this year did not perform as well as we had expected.”
For those keeping track at home, Square Enix released an absurd number of RPGs in the second half of last year. Here are just a few of them:
- The Diofield Chronicle
- Valkyrie Elysium
- Star Ocean: The Divine Force
- Tactics Ogre: Reborn
- Dragon Quest Treasures
- Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion
Diofield Chronicle was an intriguing new spin on real-time strategy. Star Ocean 6 was better than expected but not great. Valkyrie Elysium was an oddly action-based successor to a beloved turn-based series from the PS1-era. Some of the remasters like Tactics Ogre were fantastic, others like Chrono Cross were subpar. Almost none of these games, however, seemed set up to succeed, let alone meet expectations, due to lack of marketing (and sometimes bad marketing) or extra development resources.
When it comes to anything outside of Final Fantasy, Square Enix seems hesitant to take big swings or roll out the red carpet when it does. And then there are the times when it appears to try and will a hit blockbuster into existence, as was the case with Forspoken, which was decent but still flawed. And yet this doesn’t seem to have stopped the company from going full steam ahead into crypto shenanigans.
While it might seem like the rest of the gaming industry has backed off of NFTs, Square Enix appears fully committed to actually releasing games with them. “We have organized our pipeline so that we will have a good spread of new releases in FY2025/3 and beyond as well,” Matsuda told investors. “We also hope that you will look forward to the blockchain games we plan to launch in FY2024/3 and thereafter.”
Forspoken probably isn’t getting a sequel. The studio behind it, Luminous Productions, is now getting absorbed back into the greater Square Enix blob. But maybe its protagonist Frey can appear as an NFT in Crypto Chocobo or whatever else is coming down the road.


text:
January 20, 2020
Gangnam-gu, South Korea
Fine Dust :
Food delivery fees rose but customers say, 'Enough!'
Samsung Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong attends groundbreaking ceremony at Giheung Campus
CEOs of Big Three shipbuilders meet with Trade Minister
Celltrion's anticancer drug approved for sale by European Commission
SK E&S, Korea South-East Power sign MOU on green power cooperation
PPP to switch to interim emergency leadership
Malaysia’s state energy company, 6 Korean companies establish carbon value chain
Shares end higher Wednesday on gains in auto and battery makers
'Anna' director Lee Zoo-young says Coupang Play edited series without her consent
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)
Korea JoongAng Daily Sitemap


text:
AMD is going to send its dual-GPU Radeon Pro Duo graphics cards to developers at universities, so they can get to work on producing (and enjoying) virtual reality (VR) content.
The company has partnered up with Crytek (of Crysis fame) for the scheme, known as the VR First Initiative, which envisions VR labs being fired up in universities across the globe, helping to spur the grassroots development of virtual reality.
"VR First labs will become key incubators for nurturing new talent in VR development and creating a global community well-prepared to innovate in this exciting and emerging field," Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli commented.
Now you're playing with Pro Duo power
Developers will be provided with Radeon Pro Duo video cards and AMD's LiquidVR SDK, which the company promises is the "world's fastest VR content creator platform" – and naturally it's all compatible with the leading VR headsets, including Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
The dual-GPU graphics card will also power experiences developed for Microsoft's DirectX 12 – middleware that already allows GPUs to multitask better – with a claimed 16 teraflops of computing performance.
Designed for consumers as much as it is creators, the Pro Duo will allow you to set specific tasks to each of its two GPUs. This means that you can dedicate one chip to your session of the latest game and the other to tasks like web browsing, messaging and more.
AMD plans to release software that will allow you to easily toggle this allocation, Radeon Technologies Group SVP and chief architect Raja Koduri tells us. Then, it's no wonder that the chip maker projects a price of $1,499 (about £1,048, AU$1,996) when the Pro Duo lands in the second quarter of this year.
Bring the power to the people
Crytek is also granting full source code access to CryEngine development software for free, as well.
The first VR laboratory is actually already up and running at Bahcesehir University in Istanbul, and it's been going since the beginning of the year.
Big things are expected of virtual reality, and not just in the gaming and entertainment spheres, as VR will also have a major impact on experiences like online shopping, education, medicine and more.
But, of course, right now it's mostly about the games – and having pockets deep enough to afford a VR headset and a PC capable enough to run it.
- Also check out: 13 best VR games: best virtual reality games for PC and mobile
Joe Osborne also contributed to this report
Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox
Get the hottest deals available in your inbox plus news, reviews, opinion, analysis and more from the TechRadar team.
Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).


text:
MVPs 2021 voting now open!
In LatestDiscover the latest pharmacy news with daily updates and information to keep you in the know.
Record learning outcomes
The Most Valuable Product (MVP) Awards are back for 2021, with 26 OTC product categories and one overall winner to vote for.
All pharmacy team members can cast their votes from June 21. Three voters will be picked at random to each win a pair of Bose Audio Sunglasses.
Voting is simple: all pharmacy team members have to do is pick one product from the shortlist of each category that they feel has been the most valuable product for their store over the last 12 months. Just visit the P3pharmacy website.


text:
Company chairmen have lauded the increase in difficult times
Frankfurt – Arabstoday
Continental, the German maker of automotive parts and tyres, said it achieved record results in 2012 and expects its success to continue this year, AFP has reported
.\"In 2012, Continental set new records in a market environment that was difficult in part,\" the group said in a statement.
\"In 2012, we increased profits to just short of €1.9bn ($2.5bn), topping the previous year\'s level by more than 50 percent,\" boasted chief executive Elmar Degenhart.
\"At €9.42, we have very nearly double-digit earnings per share. What is more, we cut our net indebtedness by close to €1.5bn, bringing it down to a reasonable level\" of €5.3bn, Degenhart said.
The automotive supplier vowed that \"this success is set to continue in 2013. Despite muted market prospects, we are aiming to boost sales by 5.0 percent to more than €34bn.\"
In 2012, net profit zoomed ahead by 51.6 percent to €1.884bn and underlying or operating profit was up 18.3 percent at €3.073bn on a 7.3-percent increase in sales to €32.736bn.
Continental said it would propose an increased dividend of €2.25 per share for 2012, up from €1.50 euros per share a year earlier.
Degenhart said that Continental \"wants to use the strong financial basis to expand our position as one of the leading automotive suppliers, tyre manufacturers and industry partners.\"
\"With a record €25bn in customer orders last year...we look both to this year and the years beyond with confidence,\" he added.
Investors appeared to share that confidence and Continental shares were the third-biggest gainers on the Frankfurt stock exchange on Thursday, adding 2.99 percent while the overall blue-chip DAX 30 index was up just 0.31 percent.


text:
Malaysian McDonald’s outlets have begun to advertise their commitment to curb plastic straw usage at local eateries, and will be implementing a by-request policy when it comes to the suckers.
Punters will now have to ask for a straw with their meal, as opposed to them being readily given, and available. While no official statement by the franchise has been released, individual locations in KL’s upscale Bangsar neighborhood, and in Penang, have posted signs informing patrons of the change in policy.
Straws, though small and seemingly minimal in waste space, are a ubiquitous feature in Malaysians’ daily lives: 31 million are used daily throughout the country, 11.3 billion per year. One straw can take 200 years to decompose.
The image of a turtle with a straw stuck in its nose is often used when catalyzing the public to curb plastic consumption, and it happened here in Malaysia in 2015.
Businesses are beginning to heed environmentalist’s calls, with news earlier this month that Starbucks would be phasing out single-use plastic straws by 2020. Locally, supermarket plastic bags and polystyrene food containers have been replaced with biodegradable versions, with more businesses encouraging the public to bring their own reusable bags.
So, what to do in a world devoid of plastic straws? Get yourselves reusable ones, of course.
A quick perusal of online retailer Lazada shows a variety of options, including cleaner, for as low as RM15 for the stainless-steel kind.
Metal not your game? How about bamboo? Meet The Usuk Initiative – a Sabah-based bamboo straw non-profit that aims to reduce unnecessary plastic waste. Their products are 100% natural and toxin-free.
No excuses y’all.
The post McDonald’s outlets announce straws will only be given at customer’s request appeared first on Coconuts.


text:
This week’s crash in retail stocks was more serious than many realize.
Retail giants said inflation is reducing spending on nonessential items.
Consumers are going from being handed $4 trillion to no discretionary income.
Now throw in rising rates and a topping housing market.
— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) May 21, 2022
MORE HORRORS AWAIT AFTER $550 BILLION RETAIL EARNINGS MELTDOWN; RISING COSTS, INVENTORIES AMONG KEY ISSUES FACING THE INDUSTRY: BBG
— FXHedge (@Fxhedgers) May 22, 2022
— Livingston (@RetirementRight) May 22, 2022
— FactSet (@FactSet) May 22, 2022
— Topdown Charts (@topdowncharts) May 23, 2022


text:
Boston Celtics NBA $3B 20.8 by the Detroit Pistons, Turner No.Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels 15.Full story here.
Manny Machado, San Diego Padres 13.Aaron Judge, New York Yankees 3.The European season will begin before the NBA even hits free agency, which could complicate his decision.
Mobile gaming will be the largest segment in 2018, claiming more than half of all global game revenues for the first time.The D Rose 4 launches custom made basketball jerseys , Foot Locker and Eastbay on Oct.10 in three colorways; five other editions will launch through the end of the year.?Former First Lady Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote and the LeBron James led More Than A Vote said they would work together to provide information, transportation, food, music, personal protective equipment and other support at early voting sites nationwide from Oct.New York create your own jersey design MLB $5B 3.
Golden State Warriors NBA $4B 6.?Rawlings Sporting Goods has signed a deal to acquire Easton Diamond Sports, which manufactures bats, bags, helmets and other baseball and softball equipment and apparel.?, a special series that spotlights America’s unsung heroes.
?The current state of the defending NBA champion Miami Hea: They are not playing bored .Among EPL clubs, the largest jersey-front sponsorship deal is between Manchester United and Chevrolet, a seven-year pact signed in 2014 estimated custom men football jersey $65 million annually.Barcelona soccer $4B 9.?House Sitting by Tynesha Williams : A guy is staying at the house of a friend, who is going out of town for a week.
Javier Báez, Chicago Cubs 9.Manchester United soccer $3B 11.Houston Texans NFL $3B 20.Mikhailov was inducted in the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2000.


text:
Launch confirmed for 2015.
The next-generation Ford Endeavour was spied along with the Ford Mustang, during its homologation, says Gaadi.com. Both vehicles are set to be launched in India this year. With the Endeavour spotted at the certifying agency, we can safely say that the SUV is up for launch soon in India.
While the Endeavour, in the Everest avatar, has its order books open in Thailand, Philippines and Australia, its launch date in India is still in contention. Ford confirmed last year that the SUV would launch in India before the end of 2015, and the festival season usually sees a flurry of launches, big and small.
The overhauled Endeavour featuring the latest technologies, Ford would hope, will give it some teeth to compete against the wildly successful Toyota Fortuner. The next generation 2016 Toyota Fortuner is also due for its launch in India early next year, after its global unveiling next month. The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, the smaller but respectable competitor, is also up for a full model change this year in Thailand.
Available in both 4x2 and 4x4 variants, the Endeavour in the Philippines is priced between INR 19 and INR 27 lakhs for its six variants. Engine options range from a 2.2-liter Duratorq 4-cylinder diesel engine to a 3.2-liter Duratorq diesel motor. While the smaller power unit makes 160 PS and 385 Nm of peak torque, the bigger engine produces 200 PS and 470 Nm of torque.
Ford Everest Brochure (RHD Australian specification)
[Slideshare direct link]
[Source - Gaadi.com]


text:
What you need to know
- Google is apparently redesigning the editor UI in Photos.
- The new design replaces the current icon-heavy UI with one that makes greater use of text.
- The redesign seems to be inspired by Snapseed.
Google is redesigning the editor UI in its Photos app, as discovered by app 'reverse engineer' Jane Manchun Wong. The new UI seems to take inspiration from Google-owned Snapseed, with an added emphasis on the use of text over icons. You can check out a few screenshots of the new UI below:
Google Photos is working on a new editor UI pic.twitter.com/GAK4NQCsIBGoogle Photos is working on a new editor UI pic.twitter.com/GAK4NQCsIB— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) August 25, 2020August 25, 2020
Taking a closer look, you can see that the previously text-less icons for cropping or adding filters to images are now replaced with text buttons like "Crop" and "Filters," with no additional icons. That's quite similar to another Google-owned imaging app, Snapseed, which also prefers the use of text over icons for its UI.
As someone who's had to explain where the crop button in Photos is more times than I can count, I, for one, welcome the change, which explicitly labels everything instead of asking users to figure out what each icon means.
Google hasn't yet said anything about the redesign, but as at least one Twitter user has discovered the new design on their Xiaomi Mi 10G, which suggests the company may have already started testing the UI in the wild. When, and if, it'll make its way to all users is, of course, anyone's guess.
The change follows an earlier redesign of the Photos app in June, featuring a redesigned logo, a new "Map view" and more.
How to get your pictures out of Facebook and into Google Photos
Be an expert in 5 minutes
Get the latest news from Android Central, your trusted companion in the world of Android


text:
Porsche has announced that it has given the go ahead for the first 100 per cent electrically powered Porsche. In a meeting that was held last week, the company’s supervisory board gave the approval for Porsche’s Mission E project. Dr. Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Porsche Executive Board, said this signals a key shift in the company’s strategy and marks the “beginning a new chapter in the history of the sports car.” If all goes as planned, the 100 per cent electric Porsche will reach the retail market by the end of the decade.
Porsche has revealed that it will be investing over 700 million euros in its main factory at Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen and creating over 1000 new jobs in its drive to foster sustainable growth. The capital will cover the cost of adding a new paint shop and a new assembly plant at the site as well as expansion of the current engine factory and body shop for the production of electric cars. Other additions as part of Mission E will include expansion of the Development Center in Weissach.
Porsche had marked the beginning of its journey to produce electric cars with the launch of the Mission E concept car at the Frankfurt International Motor Show in September. The concept stylishly combined driving performance with practicality to live up to the expectations of ‘E-Performance’ from Porsche.
The four-door concept car came with four inpidual seats and a power system having an output of over 600 hp (440 kW). The vehicle thus has the capacity to go from zero to 100 km/h in less than 3.5 seconds and an electric driving range of more than 500 kilometers. It can be charged through an 800-volt charger unit that was specially developed for the car. This charging unit is twice as powerful as the quick-charge systems that are currently available, and the lithium-ion batteries that have been incorporated in the floor of the car are powerful enough to get enough power for 80 percent of the range after just 15 minutes. The vehicle can optionally be ‘refuelled’ wirelessly by induction via a coil set in the garage floor.
Dr. Wolfgang Porsche, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Porsche AG, said that with Mission E, the company was making a clear statement about Porsche’s future. In an era when the focus is on sustainability and clean energy, Porsche will continue to maintain its leadership position with the E project that will deliver a truly fascinating sports car with the right blend of performance and technological innovation.
Chairman of the Porsche Executive Board, Dr. Oliver Blume: “We are resolutely taking on the challenge of electric mobility. Even with solely battery-powered sports cars, Porsche is remaining true to its philosophy and offering our customers the sportiest and technologically most sophisticated model in this market segment.” Blume added that the Mission E project underlines the importance of Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen as a production site, of Baden-Württemberg as a center of technology and of the whole German automotive industry.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
© 2017 Morjan Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.


text:
Nike, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) PT Set at $66.00 by Stifel Nicolaus
Nike, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) has been assigned a $66.00 target price by research analysts at Stifel Nicolaus in a report released on Saturday. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the footwear maker’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price objective suggests a potential upside of 10.09% from the stock’s previous close.
NKE has been the subject of several other reports. Forward View set a $55.00 price objective on shares of Nike and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, March 26th. B. Riley reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $56.00 target price on shares of Nike in a research report on Monday, March 27th. Vetr downgraded shares of Nike from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $60.36 target price on the stock. in a research report on Monday, March 27th. Canaccord Genuity reissued a “buy” rating and set a $51.00 price objective on shares of Nike in a research report on Tuesday, March 28th. Finally, Argus downgraded shares of Nike from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their price target for the company from $55.25 to $55.56 in a report on Tuesday, April 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and twenty-one have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Nike presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $61.04.
Shares of Nike (NYSE:NKE) traded up 1.44% on Friday, reaching $59.95. 11,048,297 shares of the company were exchanged. The firm has a market capitalization of $98.51 billion, a PE ratio of 23.88 and a beta of 0.60. The company’s 50 day moving average is $55.02 and its 200 day moving average is $54.92. Nike has a 12-month low of $49.01 and a 12-month high of $60.33.
Nike (NYSE:NKE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 29th. The footwear maker reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $8.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.63 billion. Nike had a net margin of 12.34% and a return on equity of 34.18%. Nike’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.49 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Nike will post $2.43 earnings per share for the current year.
WARNING: This piece was first published by American Banking News and is the property of of American Banking News. If you are accessing this piece on another site, it was copied illegally and republished in violation of US and international trademark & copyright laws. The correct version of this piece can be accessed at https://www.americanbankingnews.com/2017/07/23/nike-inc-nysenke-pt-set-at-66-00-by-stifel-nicolaus.html.
In other news, CFO Andrew Campion sold 96,243 shares of Nike stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.68, for a total value of $5,455,053.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 50,246 shares in the company, valued at $2,847,943.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Eric D. Sprunk sold 50,000 shares of Nike stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.00, for a total transaction of $2,950,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 300,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,706,372. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 374,315 shares of company stock worth $21,562,036. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NKE. Baltimore Washington Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Nike during the fourth quarter valued at about $10,508,000. V Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Nike during the second quarter worth $100,000. Webster Bank N. A. raised its position in shares of Nike by 75.5% in the first quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 2,092 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $117,000 after buying an additional 900 shares during the last quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Nike during the first quarter worth $117,000. Finally, Gierl Augustine Investment Management Inc raised its position in shares of Nike by 5.3% in the first quarter. Gierl Augustine Investment Management Inc now owns 2,121 shares of the footwear maker’s stock worth $118,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. 63.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
NIKE, Inc is engaged in the design, development, marketing and selling of athletic footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories and services. The Company’s operating segments include North America, Western Europe, Central & Eastern Europe, Greater China, Japan and Emerging Markets. Its portfolio brands include the NIKE Brand, Jordan Brand, Hurley and Converse.
Receive News & Ratings for Nike Inc. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Nike Inc. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.


text:
Silver Lake has upped its ante on India’s Jio Platforms. The Menlo Park, California-based private equity firm said Friday (June 5) it will buy an additional stake worth $600 million in the Indian telecom operator, TechCrunch reported.
One month ago, as reported here, Silver Lake invested $750 million in the fast-growing company. This new infusion of cash increases its stake in the Indian firm to 2.08 percent, up from 1.15 percent, according to the report.
Also on Friday, PYMNTS reported Mubadala Investment Co., an arm of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government, is investing $1.2 billion in Jio Platforms.
So far, the telecommunications giant has raised more than $12 billion in less than two months.
Jio Platforms, which has more than 388 million subscribers since 2016, has attracted foreign investors looking for a piece of the one of the world’s largest internet markets, the report said.
The latest deal with Silver Lake, a technology investor with more than $43 billion in combined assets under management,
comes on the heels of investments by Facebook, which got a 10 percent stake for $5.7 billion, and private equity groups KKR, Vista Equity Partners and General Atlantic.
The recent investment “validates a compelling business model and underscores our admiration for Jio owner Mukesh Ambani, his team and their vision in creating and building one of the world’s most remarkable technology companies,” Silver Lake Co-CEO and Managing Partner Egon Durban said, according to the report. “We are excited to increase our exposure and bring more of our co-investors into this opportunity, further supporting Jio Platforms in its mission to bring the power of high-quality and affordable digital services to a mass consumer and small businesses population.”
Ambani is selling stakes in the company to trim $21 billion in debt, a promise he made to shareholders earlier, TechCrunch reported. The company was debt-free in 2012, but took loans to bankroll the creation of Jio Platforms.
Silver Lake’s additional investment, Ambani said, “is a strong endorsement of the intrinsic resilience of the Indian economy, which will surely grow bigger with comprehensive digital enablement.”


text:
Tempress Systems, the solar subsidiary of Amtech Systems, revealed that it has collected around US$37 million in new solar orders for its diffusion processing systems from new and existing Asia-based customers. Taking into account the most recent order, Amtech has so far received around US$157 million in orders for the 2010 fiscal year.
J.S. Whang, CEO of Amtech, commented, “These latest orders further demonstrate the quality and depth of our expanding solar customer base, and our ability to provide excellent product and service to the industry. We believe the intense effort by our customers and the solar industry to increase cell efficiency will continue to drive demand for our superior diffusion technology. We continue to see excellent quotation activity and remain focused on continued successful execution of our solar growth strategy.


text:
Chanel has commissioned Jean-Louis Froment, the art director of Prince Pierre Foundation of Monaco, to curate their latest exhibition at Zaha Hadid's famed Guangzhou Opera House in China. The creative team at chanel teamed up with Froment to deliver a deep rooted history of founderCoco Chanel, and shed light on her tight knit group of groundbreaking artist friends which included people like Amedeo Modigliani, , Jean Cocteau and Pablo Picasso, all of whom had a massive impact on 20th century art. Titled Culture Chanel, the exhibit is centered around Picasso's biggest paint job: le train bleu. The expansive stage backdrop was painted in 1924 by Picasso for his close friend Sergei Diaghilev, artistic director of Ballets Russes, who used it for an eponymous choreography. On display are over 400 works, including drawings, photographs, paintings, manuscripts, books and films. To top it off, Chanel's fashion creations by both the legendary Coco and Chanel's current designer Karl Lagerfeld, are blended into the art filled exhibition.
(photography By Jonathan Leijonhufvud)


text:
According to the new Food Safety and Standard Act, a licence is compulsory for a business with a turnover of more than Rs. 12 lakh. Businesses with turnover less than Rs. 12 lakh need not to take license, but are required to get registered.
The food business, which has been included in the act since August 5, 2011, include, pan stalls, fruit-vegetable vendors, vendors selling food items on hand-carts, grocery shops, food bakeries, professionals packaging food, caterers, inns, dhabas, tea stalls, onion-potato traders, meat shops and other such businesses.
Speaking to TOI, the Joint Commissioner (Food), FDA Chandrakant Pawar said, "The registration and licenses have been made mandatory for food related businesses as per the new Food Safety and Standard Act 2006. Businesses without licence or registration can be fined up to Rs. 5 lakh or face six months of imprisonment."
"There are around 300 food caterers across the city. Even after several reminders, they have not registered or taken license. We have decided to take stern action against them. Moreover, action will also be taken against owners of wedding halls, lawns and schools, if food caterers with no registration or license are found in these places."
As per the new Food Safety and Standard Act, the FDA had recently started the drive for registration and issuance of license in Nashik division. Around 19,403 businesses have been registered so far in Nashik division, including 5,484 registrations in Nashik district, 3,986 in Dhule district, 4,537 in Jalgaon and 5,396 registrations in Ahmednagar districts.
The licenses have been issued to 11,377 businesses, including 5,004 businesses in Nashik district, 2,160 businesses in Dhule district, 1,987 in Jalgaon and 2,226 businesses in Ahmednagar districts. The revenue amounting to Rs. 5.62 crore were earned through registration and issuance of license.


text:
Downtown Napa was littered with broken glass and pockets of fallen masonry as the sun rose Sunday morning, with businesses challenged to clean up and secure their damaged inventory — all without electricity.
As many as half of all businesses along First and Second streets in the downtown core had lost at least one window, some more. Others sustained heavy losses in inventory, from wine to antiques, olive oil and clothing.
One of the hardest-hit buildings was the historic three-story commercial building, Alexandria Square, at Second and Brown streets, home to Carpe Diem wine bar.
Falling bricks and masonry had completely exposed a third-story corner office and destroyed several black awnings on the ground floor. A corner roof piece remained hanging from an angle, as if it would topple at any moment.
McCaulou’s department store was flooded by burst ceiling sprinkler pipes. Both the second and first floors sustained significant water damage, according to manager Ken Stoddard. Several ground floor display windows were shattered. The carpet, display cabinets and clothing for sale was soaked.
Pushing a broom to sweep murky colored water out of her store, Sandina Bailo of Sala Salon said she was shocked to arrive at her business early Sunday morning and find the space flooded from broken sprinkler pipes. “Seeing the water gushing out the door was not what I expected,” she said grimly.
With all the water, drywall, ceiling, floor and equipment damage, “I’m down for months,” she estimated. Bailo believed her damages to run in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“I lost 75 percent of my inventory,” said Jennifer Smith, a vendor at Antiques on Second. “All the cases were knocked over,” causing hundreds if not thousands of pieces of glassware, porcelain and china to crash to the floor, she said.
Owner Molly Silcox estimated an 80 percent loss to the antique collective. “It’s annihilated,” she said. “If it was breakable, it’s gone. Nothing survived.”
By midmorning Silcox and her vendors had already filled 10 large garbage toters with broken merchandise, she said. “These are treasures,” she said, gesturing to the smashed pieces in the trash. “And they’re gone.”
As of Sunday afternoon, the Andaz Napa was closed, said the front office manager Joe Snowden. He wasn’t sure when the hotel would reopen. Guests were sent to other area hotels, said Snowden.
A reservation assistant said that the Westin Napa on McKinstry Street was closed and that guests were being sent to a Sheraton hotel in Petaluma.
Farther away from downtown, the Meritage Resort and Spa also remained open, said a news release. “Our engineering team has been doing walkthroughs of the property to access any damage and make repairs as needed,” said a news release.
Mimi Glavin, owner of the Playful Garden, said she was happy to find that her store had only one small break in one window.
“I’m so glad this didn’t happen during Blues, Brews & BBQ,” a downtown festival that was held Saturday, said Glavin. “It would have been very frightening if people had been in the store.”
After months of construction and other challenges the city center and its merchants have endured, “it’s tough,” she said, her eyes filling with tears. “I’m so sad for downtown Napa.”
Smashed liquor and wine bottles filled the aisles a foot deep at Val’s Liquors on Third Street. “It’s horrible,” said Jesus Villa, manager. “We were flooded with wine.”
Next door, Alexis Handelman of Alexis Baking Co. said that two of her bakers were working at the café during the quake. A light panel fell on one baker, injuring him slightly, but “comparatively, we were very lucky,” she said.
Other damage included a broken window, and a lot of glasses, dishes, cups and even a few cakes. Hours after the quake, Handelman had set out a table on the sidewalk serving free coffee. “People are in a daze,” she said. “When the going gets tough, that’s what you do.”
Ed Hayman of Pleasures Unlimited said he found “everything on the floor,” and a shattered front window at his shop. Several hours into his cleanup, the window was boarded up, his shelves were again neatly stocked and he and an employee swept the floors. He pointed out a few cosmetic cracks in the ceiling but “other than that, we’re in good shape.”
The shopkeeper estimated his damages at about $3,000 to $4,000. “But that’s minimal compared to some,” other downtown merchants, he said. The business owner does not have earthquake insurance, said Hayman. After this, “maybe I might have to get it.”
Patricia Trimble of the Roost Napa, a home decor boutique, also lost a front window, plus “everything I own that is glass, the majority broke,” she said. Trimble said the damage to her merchandise was “tremendous,” and likely totaled $50,000 or more. She does not have earthquake insurance.
This isn’t Trimble’s first brush with disaster. After a July 17 fire at a neighboring nail salon and now an earthquake, “all I’m waiting on is locusts,” she said with a short laugh.
In the midst of the cleanup, “Adobe lumber came driving by and gave everybody lumber” to cover broken windows, she said. “That’s the thing I love about Napa. We’re all neighbors.”
Taryn McConnell watched from the back of a pickup truck as two men installed donated plywood over broken windows at her daughter’s salon, Vanity for Guys and Dolls. “The whole place is destroyed,” including the mirrors at styling stations.
“There is so much glass on the floor,” she said. Arriving at the salon to see the aftermath of the disaster, “it was just awful,” she said. “All our hard work.”
But McConnell had praise for how Napans had rallied for those hit hardest. “I’m impressed,” she said. “The community is really coming together.”
Talking with her was Nancy Zaslove of Eiko’s restaurant. “We lost everything,” said Zaslove. “All our booze. All our glassware.” Water from McCaulou’s also inundated her restaurant. However, “All our employees are accounted for and we’re OK.”
Renee Fannin of the Napa Valley Toy Co. was able to pick up fallen stock without suffering water damage from the adjacent McCaulou’s. “We’re lucky,” she said. Her house is a mess, said Fannin, but “we’re OK.”
Randy Schwartz, co-owner of Yarns on First, emptied the front section of his store onto the First Street sidewalk to make his cleanup easier. He lost a window and the shop was a mess, but “the good news is, it’s yarn. It could be worse,” he said.
Many downtown historic buildings sustained damage from moderate to severe. A pile of rubble from the top of the Goodman Library was fenced off Sunday morning. Cracks inched down the front of the historic Sushi Mambo building. Windows and corner brickwork had shattered at the downtown post office, which was marked with yellow caution tape.
The floor inside Lucero Olive Oil, located near the corner of Main and First, was coated by a sticky mess of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Downtown property owner George Altamura walked down First Street with his wife, Jackie. He wanted to see for himself the damage to downtown, he said.
“What a shame,” he said, looking at the damage to the Sushi Mambo buildings. “Luckily nobody got killed,” he said.
At one of his buildings, home to Naked Wines, broken wine bottles and wine carpeted the floor. Altamura said that he was told about half of the ceiling by the stage at his Uptown Theatre had fallen.
Napa Center developer Todd Zapolski said that his initial inspection is that McCaulou’s had the most damage of the mall’s merchants. In addition, “we have some damage on Sushi Mambo building,” said Zapolski.
The Gordon building across from Sushi Mambo is “a bit of a tank (and) it held up pretty well. The empty Merrill’s had some tiles fall off and a few tiles need to be replaced. It looked like it was in pretty good shape,” he said.
According to Zapolski, Cult Following wine tasting bar lost inventory and Napa Center tenant GNC had all their stuff come off the shelves, he said. Boho Lifestyle lost all their windows and the Ceja Vineyards tasting room lost some wine “but not much,” he said.
“In the next couple days we will work with current tenants to make sure we can help them,” he said.
It’s too bad, said Zapolski. “Just as downtown is finally coming together, this happens. But we’ll get through it,” he said.
The parking lot at Sunshine Foods in downtown St. Helena was empty on Sunday as the store was without power late into the afternoon. When power was restored, the store was opened at about 3:45 p.m.
One of the store’s owners, Mark Smith, said there was no structural damage; however they lost all deli items, all ice cream, and most of their meat.
Stoplights along St. Helena’s Main Street were also without power for most of the day but traffic flowed smoothly until power was restored. Chevron gas station on Main and Adams remained closed as of 4:30 p.m.
In this Series
- 33 updates
Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter.


text:
SteamDB logged the presence of a new product in the database which goes by the codename ‘Oregon’.
The title is listed with tags such as “rogue-like”, “sci-fi” and “bullet hell”, but the clearest indication that it’s related to the Housemarque title are references to Tower of Sisyphus and Atropos, which feature in Returnal.
One source shared footage with VGC appearing to show Returnal running on PC, which strongly suggests it’s one of the next PlayStation console exclusives in line for a port.
Returnal released for PlayStation 5 last April and is Finnish studio Housemarque’s largest and most ambitious project, following several decades focused on 2D arcade-style shooters such as Super Stardust HD and Resogun. Following the release of the game, Housemarque was acquired by Sony.
Returnal PC is yet another title seemingly legitimised from a huge ‘leak’ of unannounced games on Nvidia’s GeForce Now streaming service last year.
Many other games on the leaked list have since been confirmed, including Grand Theft Auto Trilogy remasters and a PC version of God of War. Another Sony game mentioned on the list, Sackboy: A Big Adventure PC port, also appeared in the Steam backend last year.
PlayStation boss Jim Ryan said during a business briefing this week that Sony expects half of its annual releases to be on PC and mobile by 2025.
Sony’s first modern PC ports were Horizon Zero Dawn in August 2020, Days Gone last May and God of War earlier this year. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy will also make the jump to PC year.
Jim Ryan has previously confirmed PlayStation will bring “a whole slate” of games to PC.
PlayStation recently acquired Nixxes Software, which is best known for its work on the PC versions of Square Enix properties including Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Hitman and Thief, to help it bring its games to the platform.
In VGC’s Returnal review, critic Chris Scullion said the game’s “constant action and clever semi-procedural structure make it an engaging adventure, not to mention a visually stunning one.
“The lack of any difficulty levels may unfortunately exclude less experienced gamers, but anyone who doesn’t mind dying a bunch of times will thoroughly enjoy themselves.”


text:
EU, UK probe Meta and Google on advertising agreement
The competition authorities of the European Commission and U.K. opened twin investigations Friday into an advertising agreement between Meta and Google, building on the antitrust scrutiny the California-based tech giants are facing abroad.
The investigations focus around a 2018 agreement, which Google code-named “Jedi Blue,” between Google and Facebook, now under the parent company name Meta, for the participation of Meta’s Audience Network in Google’s Open Bidding program.
The investigations will look into whether the agreement was part of an effort to exclude ad tech services competing with Google’s Open Bidding program and restricted competition in the online advertising market.
“Many publishers rely on online display advertising to fund online content for consumers. Via the so-called ‘Jedi Blue’ agreement between Google and Meta, a competing technology to Google’s Open Bidding may have been targeted with the aim to weaken it and exclude it from the market for displaying ads on publisher websites and apps,” European Commission Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager said in a statement.
Andrea Coscelli, the chief executive of the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority, said it is concerned the tech giants “teamed up” to place obstacles in the “way of competitors.”
“If one company has a stranglehold over a certain area, it can make it hard for start-ups and smaller businesses to break into the market – and may ultimately reduce customer choice,” Coscelli said in a statement.
A Meta spokesperson defended the agreement and said the company will cooperate with both inquiries.
“Meta’s non-exclusive bidding agreement with Google and the similar agreements we have with other bidding platforms, have helped to increase competition for ad placements. These business relationships enable Meta to deliver more value to advertisers and publishers, resulting in better outcomes for all,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
A Google spokesperson also defended the agreement and said it would answer any questions from the competition authorities.
“The goal of this program is to work with a range of ad networks and exchanges to increase demand for publishers’ ad space, which helps those publishers earn more revenue. Facebook’s participation helps that,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
The company has previously defended the agreement when it was invoked as part of a lawsuit filed by a coalition of state attorneys general.
The Jedi Blue deal was targeted in a lawsuit led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R). The complaint alleged the deal limited Facebook’s efforts to compete with Google for ad dollars.
A version of the complaint released in January, in which some formerly redacted sections were unsealed, included internal emails showing the deal was personally approved by Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Google’s Sundar Pichai.
“We sign hundreds of agreements every year that don’t require CEO approval, and this was no different,” Google spokesperson Peter Schottenfels said in January. “And contrary to AG Paxton’s claims, the fact of this agreement was never a secret — it was well-publicized.”
A Meta spokesperson at the time said, “These business relationships enable Meta to deliver more value to advertisers while fairly compensating publishers, resulting in better outcomes for all.”
— Updated at 3:23 p.m.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


text:
The latest rumblings behind one of the most recognizable brands is causing people to talk. There’s some recent speculation that the Air Jordan signature shoes will be seeing a possible resurgence in popularity as it enters a whole new era. Sneaker aficionados used to memorizing shoe number models will now be put to ease. Instead of a numerical model number, the new Air Jordans will simply be known as their release year. Be on the look out for the new Air Jordan 2009.
Check out the full story over at Hype Beast.


text:
Top manufacturers including Dell, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Cray have announced new high-end servers sporting Intel's 10-core Xeon E7 series of chips, which were announced on Tuesday.
Some Android tablets have unique features that set the devices apart from Apple's iPad 2. Toshiba is offering its Tablet with a replaceable battery option, which users can buy for US$89. Keyboards for Motorola's Xoom and Samsung's Galaxy Tab are avai...
I love a good flame war between rival tech companies, but two recent attacks on Apple's iPad by HP and Dell executives failed to stir my emotions, except one: sympathy.
Hewlett-Packard on Thursday enhanced its mobile printing service by adding support for Google's Cloud Print, which will enable smartphones and tablet users to print documents from applications such as Gmail and Google Docs.
Hewlett-Packard is giving developers early access to the webOS 3.0 SDK (Software Development Kit), hoping that they will start working on applications for the company's upcoming TouchPad tablet, the company said in a blog post on Wednesday.
Oracle's announcement last week that it will stop developing software for Intel's Itanium processor has database startup EnterpriseDB looking to capitalize.
Oracle customers this week expressed concern about the effort and cost of upgrading IT infrastructures after the software maker said it would stop development for Intel's Itanium chip architecture.
Oracle's net income for the third quarter ended Feb. 28 rose 78 per cent to $US2.1 billion over the same period last year, helped by strong software sales and an improving hardware business, the company said Thursday. Revenue for the quarter jumped 3...
Hewlett-Packard shareholders on Wednesday reelected all 13 directors to serve on the company's board for the next year, ending controversy surrounding CEO Leo Apotheker's alleged role in identifying potential nominees.
Companies with operations in Japan are repairing factories and accounting for employees as recovery continues in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck the country's eastern coast on March 11.
AMD on Monday continued shuffling its senior executive ranks, appointing former Hewlett-Packard executive Mike Wolfe as its chief information officer.
Nearly two-thirds of enterprises are supporting more or "far more" applications than they actually need to run their operations, according to a survey released Monday by Hewlett-Packard and Capgemini.
A judge in Delaware on Thursday ordered the unsealing of a letter containing allegations of sexual harassment by former Hewlett-Packard CEO Mark Hurd, which ultimately led to his departure from the company.
One of the world's most venerable IT manufacturers is flying into the cloud. The new boss of Hewlett-Packard, Leo Apotheker, has announced that HP intends to compete with Google and Amazon, both of which dominate the nascent cloud services field. Acc...
Computer maker Asus may launch a 10-inch netbook this June for $200-$250 powered by Google Chrome OS or possibly Android 3.0, current online rumors suggest. The device would have a single core Intel Atom chip and be targeted for people who want to us...
Most Popular Reviews
- 1 Apple MacBook (early 2015) review: Almost a game changer
- 2 Microsoft Surface 3 Windows 8.1 tablet
- 3 HP Spectre x360 convertible laptop
- 4 Intel NUC Kit (NUC5i5RYH) Mini PC
- 5 Dell XPS 13 laptop (early 2015 model)
Join the PC World newsletter!
Best Deals on GoodGearGuide
Latest News Articles
- Attackers use email spam to infect point-of-sale terminals with new malware
- Large scale attack hijacks routers through users' browsers
- Sharp phone cameras play slow-motion video at 2,100 fps
- Amazon.com may be working on Etsy competitor
- BlackBerry cutting staff in smartphone unit
GGG Evaluation Team
First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
For work use, Microsoft Word and Excel programs pre-installed on the device are adequate for preparing short documents.
The Fujitsu LifeBook UH574 allowed for great mobility without being obnoxiously heavy or clunky. Its twelve hours of battery life did not disappoint.
The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.
My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.
- FTSenior Digital B2B Sales Manager | Household BrandNSW
- CCMobile Designer / Developer - IOSNSW
- CCMobile Designer / Developer - IOSNSW
- FTSENIOR FORMS ANALYST (13767)QLD
- FTApplication Security SpecialistNSW
- FTSMB Direct Sales Account Executive | Largest Global Online MarketplaceNSW
- FTSenior SQL DBANSW
- FTSenior Sales Executive X 3 World Leading Music Streaming PlatformNSW
- FTKey Account ManagerNSW


text:
Sri Lanka looks at attracting tourists from Iran
Daily FT: The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Iran organised a tourism promotion partnership event-2022 at its Chancery premises in Tehran on 6 April with the support of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau and Associations of Air Transport and Tourist Agencies of Iran.
Around 75 guests, mainly travel agents and tour operators, airline representatives, journalists, academics, travel consultants and industry specialists and bloggers were present. The purpose of the event was to enhance partnerships in promoting Sri Lanka tourism in Iran and to share recent tourism developments in Sri Lanka among the people of Iran.
Welcoming the guests, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Iran, Vipulatheja Wishwanath Aponsu expressed that tourists from Iran help the Sri Lanka tourism industry, strengthening bilateral relations and people-to-people contacts between Sri Lanka and Iran. Further, he highlighted that a destination cannot stand alone and thus, it is important to establish strong partnerships among all stakeholders in the field of tourism to enhance the existing tourism cooperation between the two countries.
In his comprehensive presentation by virtual mode, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Director (Marketing) Dushan Wickramasuriya introduced Sri Lanka as a country of historical monuments, natural wonders, unique lifestyles with more delicious typical cuisine and a safe destination. Highlighting the recent growth of tourist arrivals from Iran, he briefed on Sri Lanka’s tourism hospitality, industry way forward and current health protocols to be followed by the visitors during their stay in Sri Lanka.
The interactive session of the event created a platform for Iranian tourism stakeholders to sort out their issues, barriers and challenges directly from Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau and Embassy Officials. All participants agreed to work together with the Sri Lanka Embassy in promoting Sri Lanka tourism and emphasised the need of more awareness programmes on Sri Lanka tourism. The issue of direct air connectivity between Tehran and Colombo, the possibility of entering into the Memorandum of Understanding with Iran in the field of tourism and several other matters including travel packages, discounted air tickets price and training opportunities were highlighted.
In response, Ambassador Aponsu appreciated their commitment and interest to join hands with the Sri Lanka Embassy in promoting Sri Lanka tourism and assured to bring some issues for the attention of relevant authorities in Sri Lanka. Highlighting the Tourism stakeholders’ support for securing Iran among the top 10 tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka during the period of 1-29 March, Sri Lanka’s envoy sought their continued support to encourage more Iranian tourists to Sri Lanka in future.
Association of Air Transport and Tourist Agencies of Iran Chairman Hormatullah Rafiei in his brief remarks, thanked the Sri Lanka Ambassador and the staff for the invitation to him at the event. While highlighting the outcome of the productive event, he assured his Association’s fullest support to establish a strong partnership network among relevant stakeholders enabling Iran to send more tourists to Sri Lanka in coming months.
Videos on Sri Lanka tourism were also displayed during the event. The participants were treated to a high tea arranged by the Embassy. A door gift pack of Sri Lankan tea and tokens was presented to all guests.
Sri Lanka’s tourism industry is on a growth path with a steady increase in tourist arrivals to the country. Local tourism authorities while continuing to promote the country in key foreign source markets has also taken steps to promote Sri Lanka tourism in new tourist markets as well. Sri Lanka has been listed as a must visit destination by several leading global travel publications and has also received much exposure in the foreign media as well. With even new tourist markets expressing interest in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry, there has been an expansion in the business/investment opportunities in the industry, especially in the leisure and hospitality sectors. Given the growing business potential in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry and related sectors, foreign businesses/investors could explore the growing opportunities.
|Article Code :||VBS/AT/28042022/Z_9|


text:
The proliferation of QR codes is seen across various industries—from the transit sector giving consumers access to Wi-Fi by scanning a code to retailers offering consumers a way to pay for goods. According to The Jerusalem Post, QR codes have an abundance of use cases for them, including enabling cross-border payments.
How QR Codes Can Transform Cross-Border Payments
During the pandemic, social distancing mandates drove consumers to avoid cash and point-of-sale (POS) terminals. Contactless payment methods gained in popularity, spurring merchants to make strategic pivots and provide alternative solutions, such as QR codes.
For those that haven’t seen these popular square-shaped symbols, QR (Quick Response) codes are a type of barcode or scannable pattern that contains data such as account information, phone numbers, coupons, and website links. By For the financial industry, QR codes can be a game-changer, particularly in facilitating cross-border payments. “Traditional methods, such as wire transfers and bank drafts, can be slow, costly, and prone to errors. QR codes offer a more efficient, cost-effective, and secure solution,” said Sarah Goldman, in her article for the Jersusalem Post.
There are many uses cases for this. For example, consumers can scan a QR code to initiate a bank transfer from their account to another account overseas.
What’s more, merchants and consumers can take advantage of QR codes in order to make cross-border payments. At the merchant’s point-of-sale, a customer can use their smartphone and scan the QR code. Funds are then transferred instantly and directly from the customer’s bank account into the merchant’s bank account.
New Opportunities Ahead
According to a study by Bankmycell.com, roughly 86% of the world’s population owns a cell phone, which means there is more opportunity than ever for merchants to implement QR code technology. This also means that more financial inclusion will be a possibility in underserved areas.


text:
Cooking takes too much time and effort. If only there was a way to hit a button and have food print out of a machine! Well, that's actually not so crazy an idea.
In fact, scientists at Cornell Creative Machines Lab are already printing food. They're making 3D burgers with "liquid layers of ketchup and mustard." Just how good they taste isn't exactly clear, but they're also doing stuff like printing a scallop in the shape of the space shuttle, which should make getting kids to eat their vegetables a lot easier.
One company is hoping to offer up a food printer for about $1,000, which isn't too bad. But seriously, how does it taste? Because if you can print off burgers that taste as good as the real deal, that's something I could definitely get on board with.


text:
TCS braces for impact as Pakistan moves online
As the country embraces the impact of a growing e-commerce market and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), logistics and courier companies are also looking to cash in on the opportunity.
Pakistan is set to see its biggest infrastructure development project in the shape of CPEC that would upgrade its road network as well as add much-needed electricity to the national grid. On the other hand, the arrival of latest mobile broadband technology and a young, tech-hungry population would only enable e-commerce players to grow as well.
Online shopping making its way into rural area
TCS Holdings is also one such player aiming to tap the growing segment and take advantage.
Pakistan is experiencing a boom in e-commerce so the market is responding to any player that is entering, said TCS Holdings (Pvt) Ltd President and CEO M.A. Mannan. However, he was quick to caution that while the segment is growing, unsatisfactory services would not be tolerated since Pakistan had become a mature market.
“Today’s customer is much more aware than he was ever before. Once a customer gets a bad product or service he will never go back (to that company),” Mannan told The Express Tribune in an interview.
Since it is a learning curve, companies that learn from mistakes and improve their services will grow, said Mannan, a graduate of the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) who has previously served in local and international banks at top positions.
“My own sense is that some players will not be able to survive and, going forward, we will see more of that.”
TCS, which was founded in 1983, employs about 12,000 people, and has been among the leading logistics and courier companies in Pakistan.
But as its business grew, its diversification increased as well.
The company has also been offering services to small and big e-commerce players through its ECOM Solutions, one of its core corporate businesses that caters to the needs of e-retailers who want a quick flow of goods.
“This is the fastest growing business segment in our overall operations and it is for sure doubling every year.”
Two years ago, TCS also launched its own web-based retail platform, Yayvo.com.
Although owned by TCS, it operates independently with a Chinese wall, separating its business from the rest of the operations.
Mannan, who joined TCS about three and a half years ago, believes Yayvo has provided an important platform to reach a fast growing market segment that prefers to shop online.
E-commerce and new trends
“The e-commerce revolution is already happening and it will only gain momentum in Pakistan.
“I think we should not be afraid but understand that this is a better way of doing business as it brings down costs and improves service quality,” he said.
With real estate prices and rent increasing each year, it makes sense for businesses to move their merchandise to sell online.
Retailers’ growth has always been organic and used to take time to reach customers. But now one can reach a huge population of over 200 million people from just one e-commerce platform, eliminating the need to have multiple outlets across different cities.
Size of the market and growth
Mannan says it is too difficult to predict the growth rate of e-commerce market.
Some say the market may grow 15-25% while others say it will grow over 50%. The current size of the e-commerce market is not even 0.05% of the total retail market of Pakistan so the growth is nothing compared to what it would be in the coming years and we need to move away from the statistics, he said.
“All we can think about right now is that the growth would be faster and bigger.”
TCS market share and its traditional business
Since there is no authentic market data, Mannan believes it is better not to comment on the market share of TCS in Pakistan.
However, with over 900 retail outlets and coverage in more than 300 cities, TCS’s reach is huge.
You can buy anything online in China, even a jumbo jet
“Our annual growth rate is over 15% and I can guarantee you that there has never been a month in the last 15 years when TCS has not grown despite all the political and economic challenges the country faced during this time,” he commented.
CPEC and new investments in the sector
Like other sectors, logistic companies are also preparing for CPEC.
“CPEC is a logistic project so it will definitely create a positive impact on the transport industry. Those companies that are not ready should get ready for this mega project,” said Mannan.


text:
October 21 is National Mezcal Day and Toby Keith is inviting everyone to celebrate with his Wild Shot Mezcal.
Less than two weeks after the release of his latest album, “35 mph Town,” Toby Keith will celebrate National Mezcal Day on October 21 with his Wild Shot Mezcal, his signature premium spirit that has revolutionized its category of adult beverages. Officially declared a holiday by Keith in 2011, National Mezcal Day has drawn increasing attention each year as the spirit grows in popularity. Sip it straight or take a shot of the 86.8 proof spirit and join the fun on Wild Shot’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts for exclusive giveaways including brand new, limited edition Wild Shot t-shirts (shown below) in celebration of the holiday.
Mezcal, tequila’s older, wiser cousin, is an increasingly growing category, as noted by the trendy Mezcal restaurants popping up in New York and Los Angeles. Mixologists have taken a keen interest in experimenting with the smoky notes, present as a result of Mezcal’s unique distillation process.
Honor National Mezcal Day by being your own mixologist. Grab a bottle of Wild Shot and explore recipes like Smoke’ N Tropics and Wild (s)Hot Spiked Cider found at www.wildshot.com or sign up for Wild Shot’s newsletter to instantly receive a free digital cocktail recipe book.


text:
FARMINGTON — The Humane Society of the Four Corners is hosting a charity auction Saturday to raise money for spaying and neutering pets.
Bites and Bids Charity Auction will start at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Farmington Civic Center, 200 W. Arrington St.
The event raises money for the humane society's low-cost spay and neuter efforts. Tickets to the auction are $20 per person. A dozen local food vendors will provide the food.
"You can eat as much as you want," said Traci Fletcher, a member of the humane society's board of directors.
The Daily Times is among the groups sponsoring the fundraiser.
The auction includes two parts, a silent auction and a live auction. The silent auction includes 350 items, such as vintage neon bar signs, antique furniture and china. The live auction includes items such as a necklace valued at $7,000 and a trip to Denver, Colo.
Fletcher commended the Aztec and Farmington animal shelters for their increased rescue rates, which means the two shelters have been moving many of their pets to rescues in other shelters, such as those in Colorado.
In late January, the Aztec shelter sent more than 40 animals to a rescue in Colorado.
"The euthanasia rate is still extremely high in San Juan County, and it's primarily due to the lack of low-cost spay and neuter," Fletcher said.
The Humane Society of the Four Corners started offering low-cost spay and neuter in 2003 through the Aztec Animal Shelter. Since then, about 6,000 animals have been altered through the clinic.
Fletcher said she hopes the low-cost clinics reduce the number of animals local shelters take in.
"Spay and neuter is the only proven way to stop euthanasia," she said.
She said the shelters have made strides in decreasing euthanasia rates, but they cannot bring down the numbers on their own.
"It's a county-wide program, and it's going to take the community working together to fix it," she said.


text:
Rudy Gay, the seasoned veteran forward with the San Antonio Spurs, is the newest member of PUMA Basketball. Resurrected from the past, PUMA Basketball has recruited top talent from around the sport of basketball from Skylar Diggins-Smith to recently Michael Porter Jr. and now Rudy Gay.
Rudy Gay just appeared at Puma’s New York event and was announced as the brand’s newest signing. Still more on the way…
— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) June 20, 2018
It is undisputed that PUMA Basketball is making a run to be a top shoe brand for the upcoming NBA season with its upcoming shoe and the addition of top prospects and now proven veterans.
Take a look at PUMA’s newest member in the Clyde Court Disrupt below.
Who will PUMA sign next? Be sure to stay up with PUMA Basketball and their athletes here on Nice Kicks.
.@RudyGay already working out in the Puma Clyde Court Disrupt ?
? by @Cbrickley603 pic.twitter.com/fG1olKEkOQ
— B/R Kicks (@brkicks) June 20, 2018


text:
Papua New Guinea To Provide No-Cost Condoms in Some Hotels
The HIV/AIDS group BAHA has formed a partnership with more than 90 hotels and guest houses in Papua New Guinea to provide about two million no-cost condoms to guests, ABC Online reports. Eileen Seneve of BAHA said that the group targeted hotels for the condom distribution campaign because many people are exposed to the virus at the establishments. "It's there, it's available, so hopefully they'll use it," she said, adding that the group also will provide training to hotel staff. The condoms will be packaged in wrappers designed by local artists, following comments from a hotel chain that the original packaging was too bland, according to ABC Online (Fox, ABC Online, 3/20).This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.


text:
Amazon Games’ New World has been having a tough time, economically talking. Players have found a number of methods to duplicate gold, and the builders have even gone as far as to close the MMORPG’s economic system down at the least twice. Now it appears a plan to compensate gamers for misplaced gold has resulted in large, unexplained sums displaying up of their accounts, and the studio has switched New World’s EU servers into upkeep mode while it will get to the underside of the problem.
Earlier in the present day, a submit within the New World boards claimed that greater than 300,000 gold had been added to a participant’s game account. While different discussion board customers initially dismissed the submit as informal trolling, different gamers reported members of their corporations additionally receiving large lump sums of gold, between 100,000 and 300,000 apiece.
Pneuma, a New World group moderator, replied to the unique submit, merely saying “Congratulations!” Shortly after that, group supervisor Tosch posted an announcement that the EU Central Region worlds had been put into upkeep mode because the dev workforce investigated “the currently ongoing coin compensation for players”.
About two hours later, Tosch posted an replace, confirming that gamers had been receiving incorrect quantities of coin compensation. They mentioned the builders are presently engaged on a rollback to appropriate the issue, which seems to be affecting the EU Central area, however that there’s presently no estimated time for the deployment of the repair.
Players say they randomly acquired 300K gold and a group moderator is casually congratulating them from newworldgame
After the weeks of gold duplication glitches and different monetary weirdness in New World, it might take a while earlier than the game’s economic system settles down into one thing regular.


text:
A few weeks ago, Ford Motor Co. was embroiled in a controversy after settling the class-action lawsuit by giving discount coupons worth $300 to $500 to complainants instead of giving them monetary compensation.
During the 1990s, Ford Explorer has been linked to hundreds of deaths. According to experts, the vehicle's design is prone to rollover crash which is considered to be the deadliest form of car accident.
According to reports, more than 1 million consumers, who were covered by the class lawsuit against the carmaker, have received coupons which can only be useful when they purchase a new SUV from the same company.
With this settlement handed down by the Sacramento County Superior Court, many legal experts, consumers groups, and tort reformists expressed disappointment over the legal practice that allows companies to give out coupons instead of monetary damages.
Some legal experts estimated that the monetary settlement could be worth as much as $500 million.
Some Ford consumers, who signed their names on the lawsuit, were appalled by the court's decision and said that the discount coupons are useless since they are not even considering buying a new vehicle because layoffs are pervasive and the US economy is weak.
Controversial Issues Involving Other Carmakers
Just recently, General Motors Corp. and Chrysler Group LLC have also been under controversy after filing bankruptcy protection, shielding the companies from lawsuits and claims.
But instead of settling the lawsuits with discount coupons, which happened in the case of Ford's consumers, the complainants can resort to suing GM and Chrysler's dealers and suppliers.
However, some legal experts argue that dealers should not be held liable since they only sell vehicles, have no technology and crash laboratory to test each model, and have no technical knowledge to identify defects.
For auto part suppliers, such argument does not apply. According to lawyers, suppliers are considered more liable than dealers since they are the ones who make the car accessories.
Improving the SUV's Design
After several studies prove that SUV is four times more likely to rollover than a low-roofed sedan, Ford, Chrysler, and GM have recently introduced electronic stability control system, a technology that detects potential rollover (e.g. sudden swerve) and automatically applies the breaks and modulate throttles to allow drivers to maintain their control.
Other carmakers such as Volvo and Range Rover have also introduced this safety technology.
To complement the electronic stability control system, some companies also install seatbelt securing control that works by automatically tightening the strap if the system detects that the SUV is titling or may turn on its side.
Apart from these technologies, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has recently required automakers to lower the SUV's roof (to also lower the center of gravity) and make it stronger to protect occupants in the event of a rollover crash.
The last safety requirement is especially important for Ford. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), Ford Explorer (1996-2001) has one of the weakest roofs among the vehicles tested.
Find All - Myntra Reviews
Source By : Google.co.in


text:
Released back in May for 800 points, the Throwback Map Pack for Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 is now available on Xbox Live for free. There is more information on Xbox.com on the pack which features maps from past games in the series.
In the demo department, Meridian 4 has released a preview of RIP3 – The Last Hero. It offers all six unique heroes to play over the first ten levels in the game. Download it from 3D Downloads, FileFront and Gamer’s Hell.
A demo of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 is now available for download through the PlayStation Network for the PS3. It offers one level from the game, allowing players to lead the Ghost team in Mexico to clean up a rebel camp. The PS3 has also received demos of The Darkness. Meanwhile, a preview of Fatal Inertia has hit Xbox Live Marketplace.
Ubisoft has made quite a few revelations through its sales report for its current fiscal year, and they’re not about the company’s financial success. First up is the disclosure of a sequel to Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter: dubbed GRAW2, it will ship in the fourth quarter of its current fiscal year, which puts it sometime between January and March 2007.
It is already known that the publisher has the largest number of launch titles for the Wii. Well, that did not stop them from upping the number: it announced an additional seven games for the Wii, including one ‘non-announced new brand’, bringing the total number of games available for the system to 14 by March 2007.
Lastly, in a bit of sad news, Ubi revealed that both Assassin’s Creed and Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway have been delayed from the Q1 2007 release periods. These games are now scheduled for release sometime between April 2007-March 2008.


text:
Article by Sean Williams, Motley Fool
The legal marijuana industry has come an exceptionally long way in a very short period. As recently as 2005, recreational cannabis was illegal everywhere, just a small handful of U.S. states were allowing medical marijuana to be prescribed by a physician, and a Gallup survey found that just one out of three Americans supported legalizing weed at the national level.
Today, two out of three Americans surveyed by Gallup favor legalizing pot nationally, 33 U.S. states have given the green light to medical marijuana (including 10 that also allow recreational cannabis), and Canada has become the first industrialized country worldwide to legalize adult-use cannabis. Having brought in close to $10 billion in global sales in 2017, the duo of Arcview Market Research and BDS Analytics expects the global weed industry to net $31.3 billion in annual sales by 2022.
Everything would seem to be perfectly conducive to growth throughout North America. But what you may not realize is that Canada’s supply chain is in some pretty deep trouble.
Currently, Canada is contending with a serious pot shortage
Right now, Canada is contending with a supply shortage that could last up to two more years. This supply shortage is being caused by a combination of factors.
For starters, growers are still in the process of building out their capacity. Since committing to expansion often required substantial investment, pot growers weren’t able to start on capacity expansion for the recreational market until they were certain that the Cannabis Act would be signed into law. That certainty didn’t really manifest until December 2017/January 2018. In other words, growers got a pretty late start ramping up production to meet domestic demand.
As an example, The Green Organic Dutchman (NASDAQOTH:TGODF) is likely a top-five producer at 195,000 kilograms in forecast peak output, according to its management team. Yet, until recently, The Green Organic Dutchman hadn’t even made a sale. The company will continue expanding cultivation space in 2019, but The Green Organic Dutchman isn’t expected to be running on all cylinders until sometime next year.
Packaging solutions have been another near-term problem. Regulatory agency Health Canada has laid out specific guidelines that growers and retailers need to follow with packaging in order to ensure that products are eligible for sale in licensed dispensaries. These stringent requirements have caused a packaging shortage, leaving unfinished cannabis (i.e., unprocessed but harvested flower) waiting in the wings.


text:
Auto Council gets emission testing answers questions
MIDDLETOWN -- Area auto mechanics and dealers voiced concerns about the upcoming decentralized motor vehicle emission testing system during Wednesday's Middlesex County Chamber Automotive Council meeting.
Topics from prevention of fraud to protection from liability were addressed by State Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Gary DeFilippo and other DMV officials.
John Natale, of Complete Automotive Repair Service in East Berlin, said people are making fraudulent stickers for their vehicles with a photo copier and asked officials how fraud would be controlled with 300 or more test locations as opposed to the 25 Envirotest testing stations locations around the state. The Envirotest locations were closed this summer to decentralize the program.
"We know who the good dealers are," said Peter Rosso, division chief of the state DMV's legislative and governmental affairs unit.
Others were worried about big franchises getting all of the contracts for emission testing, but officials dissolved those fears as well.
"Were here to partner, here to try to help you," DeFilippo said.
Details about the six year contract with Chicago-based Agbar Technologies Inc. were disclosed at the meeting.
The decentralized stations were originally expected to open in March 2003, but a start date has been pushed to mid-summer 2003 at this point, DeFilippo said. The contract is near completion and will move onto the legislature for approval before heading to the attorney general. After that, local mechanics and dealers can begin signing up to participate.
Agbar has been studying Connecticut to determine where the emission testing stations should be located. Chris Stock, vice president of Agbar, said about 1.9 million light-duty cars and trucks are tested in the state every two years. Motorcycles and larger commercial trucks were not required to be tested, he said. According to 2001 figures, 953,000 vehicles were tested. In Middlesex County, 65,063 tests were conducted in 2001, Stock said. Based on those figures, at least 15 emission testing stations should be based in the county, Stock said.
Agbar will provide testing equipment to the first 300 locations. An emissions test will continue to cost $20, but 2/3 of the fee will go to the dealer and 1/3 will go to Agbar, DeFilippo said. None of the fee will go to the state, he said. While Envirotest was performing the tests, 100 percent of the $20 fee went to the company, DeFilippo said.
The decentralization, developed to promote customer convenience, is expected to offer shorter lines because of the number of locations. Vehicles four years old and newer do not need to be tested and faster tests are available for 1996 and newer models of vehicles.
Similar decentralization programs already exist in New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and California.
To contact Laura Kennedy, call (860) 347-3331 ext. 224 or e-mail firstname.lastname@example.org.